The University of Washington Club

Amazingly, I see good food reviews for the Club, and feel I must disagree strongly. The food looks like it comes from a Bön Appetit photo shoot at Canlis but is positively unappetizing. Please, Club, forget the fancy-​pants presentation and focus on making good food.
On the other hand, it is a relaxing place to be, their Happy Hour is nice, the people are uniformly terrific. And the view is wonderful.

We used the UW Club as the venue for a reception and dinner for 60 family and friends after a life cycle event. Janelle Ibisu took great care of us. The catering was very well done for both the kids and the adults. Janelle even got the UW to turn on the escalators up from the Padelford parking lot so our elderly guests didn’t have to walk up stairs, even though they’re usually turned off on the weekends. The view is spectacular, particularly in the evening as the sun sets. The Club and its staff helped make it a memorable occasion for all who attended.

Our department had an event that was hosted here, I was in charge of organizing the event. All the staff from the University Club was really helpful in planning the event, especially Mariah. On the night of the event the Club looked elegant and beautiful and the food turned out great. I received only compliments about the event and hope to do more at the Club in the future.

I have been here several times in the past years.
It is mainly a faculty club where professors can come here get lunch instead of making their way to the crowded HUB. Campus events and meetings are sometimes held here. I have been here for different occasions, meetings, coffee, dinner event, etc.
It has a gorgeous view of Lake Washington, 520 bridge, and sometimes Mt. Rainier. Its prime location makes dining here pleasant and enjoyable. I think they can also accommodate events like wedding and other special occasions.
It is pretty spacious. It also has a full bar downstairs. I don’t think UW students can dine here.
Bathroom is kind of small and gets especially crowded when a special event is going on. Service was okay. I don’t have particular memories of them.
For more information,
Dues for the 2012 – 2013 Academic Year
Faculty, Staff, Alumni — $ 170.00 per year (September 2012 — August 2013)
Prorated January $ 113.36
Prorated April $ 65.00
Prorated July $ 40.00
Retired faculty/​staff — $ 68.00 per year
Visiting faculty — $ 65.00 per quarter

Formerly called the Faculty Club, the University of Washington Club provides wonderful food service right on campus. The service is always fast, friendly and very cordial.
The menus change every day and are very well done. From sandwiches, to soup and salad, to thoughtful entrées which normally feature one pasta, one seafood and one meat dish. The chefs are very well-​trained and they also have vegetarian options and can easily accommodate any special dietary needs.
The best part of the food here is where they source their ingredients. Most of it come from local and/​or organic farms. The membership has also made many sustainable and wonderful suggestions to make this an even better place. For example, they just changed their coffee supplier from the UW «usual» (Tully’s) to Stumptown, which is a local roaster dedicating to fair-​trade, and they are good.
UW Club also has probably the most secretive «Happy Hour» ever in the area, right on campus. Plus this is an event place, with the best view of Lake Washington on campus. One full side of the dining area has huge windows facing the lake.
The only caveat may be the fact that this is a qualified membership only place, but if one qualifies and would not mind paying their dues ($ 160/​year), this club is well worth joining.
And did I forget to mention that you can get a beer at lunch?
Once you are there, you wonder why any one would ever walk into the HUB and deal with those food services which were expensive and crap. Thank goodness that the HUB is under renovation right now, so those vendors can’t quite poison the campus population.
UW Club, I highly recommend it.